What to do with worn out neck screw holes?

[Colonel_Claypoo]

hey folks,

it seems like one of the neck screws of my ibanez is worn out to the point at which i can't tighten the screw enough. it just spins and spins.
i'm now worried that my bass has lost some tone or whatever you want to call it and i need some tips what can be done in this case.
how do people with heel adjusted truss rods do it? if i'm not mistaken, they will have to untie the neck each time they make an adjustment. i, on the other hand, have only untied the neck like three times or so and already is the screw hole worn out?

so, what can be done here?

thanks for your help.

[mongo2]

My usual method is to drill out the original hole and fill it with a plug cut from a piece of very hard maple I keep around just for that purpose.

[ehque]

Originally Posted by mongo2

My usual method is to drill out the original hole and fill it with a plug cut from a piece of very hard maple I keep around just for that purpose.

I do believe that's the generally accepted way of repairing said defect.

[Jazzdogg]

If you will be removing your neck frequently and the screw holes have already stripped out, you may want to consider installing threaded inserts and machine bolts instead of continuing with wood screws.

[Colonel_Claypoo]

thanks so far.
have you experienced that the sound of the bass or the sustain was lacking after repairing it?

[VisualShock]

Yeah, i sorta had this problem where the buttons for the strap go on my first bass. i filled the hole with cocktail sticks cut to length, and then just screwed through it that way. the cocktail sticks just pushed out like normal wood and filled the hole. worked well, but i couldn't be certain that it was a permanent fix. It's not my main bass, so it doesn't get as much abuse, but since i did it about 12 months ago, it's held well!

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by Colonel_Claypoo

thanks so far.
have you experienced that the sound of the bass or the sustain was lacking after repairing it?

No.

[Zooberwerx]

Originally Posted by mongo2

My usual method is to drill out the original hole and fill it with a plug cut from a piece of very hard maple I keep around just for that purpose.

I was leaning towards a plug or brass inserts. IIRC, there is a grain-orientation concern which prohibits the use of commonly available hardwood plugs or dowel.

Riis

[Pilgrim]

Considering the work required, drilling and installing inserts seems more attractive than drilling, inserting plugs, cutting off plugs, then re-drilling pilot holes.

[kraigo]

Nothing new to add except that McMaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com/) is a good site for threaded inserts. Overkill perhaps - I've never used them. I've read that putting a nut on the appropriate bolt and screwing in the insert via the nut is preferable to trying to use a screw driver on the insert.

Good luck.

KO

[iriegnome]

Threaded inserts are the best option if you are removing your neck that frequently. They will last and you won't have to worry about them...

[Jazzdogg]

Originally Posted by kraigo

Nothing new to add except that McMaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com/) is a good site for threaded inserts. Overkill perhaps - I've never used them. I've read that putting a nut on the appropriate bolt and screwing in the insert via the nut is preferable to trying to use a screw driver on the insert.

Good luck.

KO

I use my drill press to orient threaded inserts vertically while I thread them into the wood using a wrench; works great.

[hbarcat]

Hardwood dowels are the standard fix for this and they will be as strong as the original neck holes, if done properly.

On my basses that have had any issues with stripped holes, I just went ahead and installed threaded inserts. They are available at any hardware store for pretty cheap but ordering them online as a package is easier even if you have to pay shipping.

They can be a little tricky for the novice woodworker to install so you may want to have someone with experience help you the first time.

P.S. The bolts I bought from the hardware store had allen heads instead of the usual screwdriver head to avoid the possibility of boogering up the head. I recessed the bolt heads and the result is pretty smooth.

[testing1two]

This was discussed and tested extensively over on TGP. Believe it or not, the strongest repair aside from threaded inserts is to simply put toothpicks and wood glue into the hole and tighten the screw while the glue is still wet. Don't worry, it won't glue the screw in place since wood glue wont adhere to metal but it does allow the pieces of toothpick to pack tightly into the threads and be glued in place.

Read and enjoy:

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...ighlight=bodge

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...t=neck+inserts

[walterw]

beat me to it

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by Zooberwerx

I was leaning towards a plug or brass inserts. IIRC, there is a grain-orientation concern which prohibits the use of commonly available hardwood plugs or dowel.

Riis

Which is why I cut my own plugs. I've also done inserts for myself on a couple of necks and for those who wanted them but mostly I just use my own plugs since I usually only have to repair just one hole.

[Metaltronix]

Originally Posted by testing1two

Believe it or not, the strongest repair aside from threaded inserts is to simply put toothpicks and wood glue into the hole and tighten the screw while the glue is still wet.

I agree and it uses items that are in about 99% of homes. It has always worked for me and anything else is kind of overkill.

[pedulla-2007]

How's this?http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/fit-neck-kit.html

[joeyl]

the best tutorial on this from our own Rodent

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=163.0

[WarriorJoe7]

I have larger than normal neck screws... I am putting up a parts list soon and they will be in the list.